the butterfly effect | l. garmadon

forty-one

"Sparky!"

My calmness was abruptly shattered by Jay appearing out of thin air, having just sidled up to my side on the footpath I was walking down and scaring my skeleton from my body with his bright announcement. I held a hand over my startled heart and grinned.

"Hey, Jay," I greeted, happily accepting his hug. How could he be back to full energy? I was still practically dragging my feet. "What are you doing out here?"

Jay pulled back and shrugged. "Just taking a walk. Where are you headed?"

Curious. Why would Jay be all the way out in the city if he was just out for a stroll? I eyed him suspiciously for a beat before realising that I didn't actually have the energy to worry about his walking habits.

"The candy shop," I answered and held up the small stack of comics I'd bought earlier. "I'm getting stuff for Lloyd." 

Jay beamed. "He'll love that! I'll tag along!"

The Lightning Ninja was an expert talker - he carried the entire conversation on his own and all I had room to do was hum and nod. He was also great at talking about everything except the past week that weighed behind us all, which I was grateful for. I wasn't sure I had the mental strength to revisit that just yet.

While Jay's chirpy one-sided gab rang through the air, we finally made it to Mr. Robuntusson's candy store. Opening the door with its old-fashioned clanging bell was like walking into a brick wall of sugary sweetness, and my eyes almost began to stung. My mouth started to salivate before the door even shut behind us.

The last time I was here it was with Lloyd, back during the first instance of us spending time together. This was where I'd found out that he was bullied. This was where my questions about him truly began to germinate in my brain, flowering only when blessed with answers. There was still an entire valley of buds unbloomed.

"Lloyd's friends!" Mr. Robuntusson greeted cheerily. The old man was sat behind his counter, playing sudoku on a newspaper and nursing a cup of tea. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Hi!" Jay chirped, and I smiled in greeting.

A few lingering customers looked up with wrinkled noses at the mention Lloyd's name. Jay quickly turned around to assess the wall of treat dispensers, but I made eye contact until their stares fell away.

Satisfied, I picked up a bag and began scooping some of the candies I recalled seeing in the hauls he'd grabbed before. When my bag was a reasonable size, I headed to the counter while Jay picked out some candy for him and Nya.

"How is Lloyd doing?" Mr. Robuntusson asked as he folded away his newspaper. He weighed the brown paper bag on a scale. "I don't see him with you."

"He's a little sick, so we came to get him some treats," I answered.

"Ah, you're good friends," Mr. Robuntusson said warmly. I matched his smile in thanks and paid.

"Uh-uh," Jay interrupted, "I'm just tagging along. Y/n here's the good girlfriend."

I blushed at the surprised look that overtook Mr. Robuntusson's face. The bell clanged as the other patrons left the shop.